Current News

Removing barriers for older jobseekers under the spotlight at REC Diversity Forum

The REC’s Diversity and Inclusion Forum met this week to discuss the challenges facing older jobseekers. The roundtable event, organised in partnership with Age UK, sought to identify some of the key barriers older jobseekers  face in their search for work  and strategised how to overcome them.

Attended by leading recruiters as well as employer bodies and an Age UK member who has first-hand experience of seeking work, the meeting identified a clear need for coordinated action  on improving employment opportunities for the older workforce.

Commenting on the meeting, Sarah Gordon, Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Forum said:

“Whilst there have been improvements in recent years of attitudes towards employing older workers, our meeting today clearly exposed a number of barriers which have yet to be broken down. The UK’s workforce is ageing and as such we need to address this challenge head on.”

She continued:

“A systematic and integrated approach to employing older workers needs to be embraced and by asking some searching questions, all present identified areas that could be improved.  Our follow-up activity will aim to educate the recruitment community in best practice when it comes to hiring older workers. They will then be in a much stronger position to give advice to their customers; employers and jobseekers."

Commenting on the meeting, Age UK Policy Adviser, Christopher Brooks said:

“Many employers continue to reject skilled older candidates for jobs for no other reason than their age. These businesses are excluding hundreds of thousands of people who have valuable expertise, skills and knowledge. These businesses need to be aware of the benefits that older workers can bring to their organisation and embrace the ageing workforce as an opportunity, not as a threat.”

In the next few weeks, the REC and Age UK will be collating the data from the meeting and draft a set of key recommendations.

If you would like to be included in the contact list for future meetings of the Diversity and Inclusion Forum, please email jason.clayton@rec.uk.com